Learn Spanish (Spain): Te quiero ayudar, pero hoy no puedo. - I want to help you, but today I can't.

In Spanish, when you have a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive (like quiero ayudar), object pronouns like te can go in two places: right before the conjugated verb (Te quiero ayudar) or attached to the end of the infinitive (Quiero ayudarte). Both are perfectly correct and mean the exact same thing!

Doesn't te quiero normally mean 'I love you'?

It can! The verb querer means both 'to want' and 'to love'. However, when it is followed by an infinitive verb like ayudar (to help), it always means 'to want' (I want to help). If it were followed just by a person, like te quiero mucho, then it translates to loving someone.

Why does the second part just say no puedo instead of repeating the verbs?

Just like in English where we can say 'I can't' instead of repeating 'I can't help you', Spanish allows you to drop the extra words when the context is already obvious. You could say pero hoy no puedo ayudarte, but simply saying no puedo is much more natural and common.

Should I include yo before quiero and puedo to show who is talking?

No, you do not need to. Because quiero and puedo are specifically the 'I' forms of the verbs querer and poder, it is already completely clear who is doing the action. Adding yo here is not wrong, but it would sound a bit unnatural unless you were trying to heavily emphasize yourself.